SweetWater Brewing’s New Taproom Will Start Serving Food in January

SweetWater Brewing Company is closing its taproom temporarily on Monday, October 1, in order to begin construction on a new taproom slated to reopen at the beginning of 2019. In the meantime, visitors to the brewery will have to drink their beer at makeshift bars in tents along the patio and at SweetWater’s barrel-aging facility, the Woodlands. The brewery doesn’t expect any interruptions to its regular public hours during construction, according to a press release.

The new-and-improved taproom will include a wraparound bar, roll-up, garage doors which open to the outside, plenty of communal seating, and a kitchen with a counter-serve food menu to pair with SweetWater’s beers. No word as to what might be on the bar’s menu, but it could be a condensed version of the menu (minus breakfast) at the brewery’s restaurant Last Cast at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

SweetWater is celebrating the countdown to the taproom’s closure this weekend with live music from Noonday Son and a light show starting at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, September 28. Saturday’s live music begins at 3 p.m. with Last Chance Riders, Cure My Enemy, and Nobody’s Darlings. A voter drive hosted by HeadCount.org will also be on site at the brewery to help people register ahead of November’s midterm election.

A representative told Eater Atlanta in May they began talking about incorporating food into the taproom when Georgia’s new liquor law went into effect September 1, 2017. The law now allows the sale of food at breweries and distilleries without a special event permit.

It’s unclear how the new “brunch bill,” expected to pass a public vote in November, will affect SweetWater’s hours on Sunday. If passed, SweetWater could open at 11 a.m. on Sunday once the new taproom kitchen is fully operational. The brewery must sell food in order to participate in the new law.

SweetWater Brewing Company

Open Wednesday and Thursday, 4:20 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday 4:20 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 12:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.; the Woodlands, Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Beer Drinkers Can Eventually Eat at SweetWater’s New Restaurant [EATL]
• All SweetWater Brewing coverage [EATL]